New Releases for March 11, 2016

March 10, 2016

CDs + Vinyl:

2 Live Crew – The Original 2 Live Crew CD (Thump)

A compilation album of rare and unreleased material by the rap group. “2 Live Crew may be best known for its raunchy 1989 hit ‘Me So Horny’ and the group’s public spats with family values groups and censors, but 22 years ago March 7, Luther ‘Luke Skywalker’ Campbell and the Crew scored an important victory before the Supreme Court in a ruling that affirmed that parody constitutes a protected ‘fair use’ of copyrighted material. On its 1989 album As Clean As They Wanna Be — the scrubbed-up version of the then-filthy As Nasty As They Wanna Be — 2 Live Crew included a song called ‘Pretty Woman,’ an unabashed parody of the 1964 Roy Orbison hit ‘Oh, Pretty Woman.’ The original song’s publisher, Acuff-Rose Music, sued Luke Skywalker Records over the tune’s unapproved use, alleging violation of copyright. A District Court granted summary judgment in favor of the rappers, noting that the 2 Live Crew version was clearly a parody and therefore protected by the Fair Use Doctrine in US Copyright Law, which provides guidelines for when copyrighted material can be used without receiving permission from the copyright holder.” — Consumerist

3 Doors Down – Us And The Night CD (Republic)

Sixth album from the Grammy-nominated multiplatinum Mississippi rock band. Vinyl version due April 8.

Accuser – The Forlorn Divide CD/LP (Metal Blade)

“The Forlorn Divide” by Accuser is an album that both new as well as seasoned fans of thrash metal will enjoy, as it is a decent representation of the classic sound of the genre but with a relatively modern spin on it.” – Metal Wani

The band performed many of their best known songs in concert at The Sellersville Theatre, Pennsylvania in February 2006.

Aurora – All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend CD (Glassnote)

2015 was a big year for Norwegian teenager Aurora Aksnes; aside from releasing the Running With The Wolves EP and the “Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1)” single, she scored a surprise hit with her cover of Oasis’ “Half The World Away.” Recorded as the music for UK retailer John Lewis’ coveted Christmas advert, “Half The World Away” gave Aurora her first UK Top 10 hit. Her debut album, All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend, features previous singles “Runaway,” “Running With The Wolves” and “Murder Song (5,4,3,2,1)” as well as “Conqueror” and eight other brand new tracks. “Conqueror” is uplifting and anthemic in equal parts, a tale of yearning and independence, showcasing Aurora’s uncanny ability to write a hook. Vinyl version due April 15.

Beau – That Thing Reality CD (Kitsune)

Beau consists of New Yorkers Heather Boo and Emma Rose. Their debut, That Thing Reality, is a blend of ‘70’s folk Americana laced with the effortlessly cool sound of the West Coast. Vinyl edition due April 1.

Bent Shapes – Wolves Of Want CD/LP+MP3 (Slumberland)

Boston band Bent Shapes churn out earnest, expertly-crafted pop and post-punk laced with “some of the tightest punk poetry around’” (Liz Pelly). Wolves of Want” is an album full of meditations on mental illness, the struggle to bring goodness into the world, and faith in humanity as a renewable resource.

Skuggsjá is the epic sound of Norway’s Norse history as told through harder music by Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Einar Selvik (Wardruna). Written by Bjørnson and Selvik for the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution, Skuggsjá tells the history of Norway to the present day by highlighting ideas, traditions and instruments of their Norse past. In a magnificent tapestry of metal instrumentation, a wide variety of Norway and Scandinavia’s oldest instruments, and poetry in Proto-Scandinavian, Norse and Norwegian, Skuggsjá fuses past and present, both lyrically and musically, and reflects on themselves as a people and nation.

Blood Youth – Closure CDEP (Rude)

Sophomore EP from the UK metal punks.

Matthew Bourne – moogmemory CD/LP+CD (Leaf)

moogmemory is the second solo studio album by English improvising pianist and synthesizer player Matthew Bourne. “[moogmemory] seems to come closer to the lineage of synthesizer innovators like Raymond Scott rather than most techno or ambient artists, even if there’s a relaxed, meditative feel to a lot of these pieces, and it showcase’s Bourne’s skill for exploring the vast capabilities of his instrument.” — AlMusic

Jeff Buckley – You And I CD/2xLP (Sony Legacy)

Jeff Buckley’s first recording sessions in 1993 in NYC were largely an informal exercise to acclimate the 27-year-old with a recording studio. Recently discovered in the Sony Music archives during the research for the 20th anniversary edition of Buckley’s Grace album, the performances on You And I are an intimate portrait of the artist performing a variety of cover songs and original music expressing a range of emotion channeled through his singular sensibility.

Cardiknox – Portrait CD/LP+MP3 (WB)

Portrait is the debut album from L.A. dance-pop duo Cardiknox featuring singer Lonnie Angle and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Dutton. The auspicious 12-track set threads together rich soundscapes, thick, booming beats, and dynamic vocals. Lonnie explains the album’s sound as “…pop, but there are so many different elements. It’s indie, electronic, epic, cinematic, nostalgic, and even a little ‘80s-inspired.”

The Cars – The Elektra Years 1978-1987 6xCD (Elektra)

Collects six studio albums, each one presented in a replica sleeve with original artwork. Ric Ocasek oversaw digital remastering for the set, while drummer David Robinson — who helped create The Cars iconic album covers through the years — served as art director. Includes all six of their original studio albums for Elektra Records: The Cars (1978), Candy O (1979), Panorama (1980), Shake It Up (1981), Heartbeat City (1984), and Door To Door (1987).

Matt Corby – Telluric CD (New Elektra)

Matt Corby is a raspy-voiced Australian singer and songwriter who followed a breakthrough showing on Australian Idol with charting, award-winning original songs. Raised on gospel music and later developing a fondness for Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Corby played locally in his native Sydney and toured with a church band before auditioning for Australian Idol in 2007. The 16-year-old reached the finals, ultimately finishing second. Over the course of the following eight years, Corby released several EPs. Telluric is his debut full-length.

Bobby Darin – Another Song On My Mind: The Motown Years 2xCD (Real Gone Music)

Bobby Darin was so much more than just ‘Mack the Knife’. In just 37 years, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and entrepreneur raced against the clock to conquer records, film, and television as he successfully transitioned from rock ‘n’ roll teen idol to tuxedoed swinger and then to denim-clad folk troubadour. At the dawn of the 1970s, and still battling the chronic heart problems that had plagued him since youth, the superstar artist signed with Berry Gordy’s renowned Motown Records. At Motown, the versatile artist reinvented himself yet again as he tackled Hitsville, USA-style R&B and soul alongside original songs and personal re-interpretations of favorites by the day’s top pop and rock songwriters including Randy Newman, Cat Stevens, Paul Williams, and Bob Dylan.

The Dickies – Banana Splits CD+DVD (Secret)

CD and DVD of The Dickies’ gig at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth 16th July 2002.

The Dollyrots – Family Vacation: Live In Los Angeles! CD+DVD (Arrested Youth)

After a career including stints on Lookout! Records, Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records, and finally maturing into a fully independent band and parents, this live concert experience captures the energy of one night in Los Angeles where one of pop-punk’s most respected and tenacious female-fronted bands sings and sweats their hearts out through a set list of fan favorites.

Emmy The Great – Second Love CD/LP (Bella Union)

“This ever so British but peripatetic, poetic, anti-folk gem has been wandering the world since releasing her 2011 second album Virtue, drawing inspiration from cities such as Los Angeles (where she wrote an Oscar-nominated film score), New York, and various cities in Asia, including her birthplace of Hong Kong. For someone who is first and foremost a poet she is experimenting as much with the music as with the lyrics here with more electronic sounds, voices and samples. The entire album is very pleasant to listen to; it makes you think – even on a Sunday afternoon – but without taxing you.” – Too Many Blogs

Brian Fallon – Painkillers CD/LP (Island)

Debut solo album from The Gaslight Anthem frontman. Produced by studio superstar Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Frank Turner, Keith Urban), richly textured songs like “Long Drives” and the addictive title track encompass the great rush and flow of American music, fusing sonic hits of heartland country and folk with hardcore punk energy and classic rock ‘n’ roll swagger.

The Feelies – Only Life [Reissue/1988] CD/LP+MP3 (Bar/None)

The Feelies – Time For A Witness [Reissue/1991] CD/LP+MP3 (Bar/None)

Expanded reissues of The Feelies third and fourth albums. Originally released in 1988, Only Life is the third album by The Feelies and their first with major label support. The album includes classic originals like “Deep Fascination” and “The Undertow.” A cover of the Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On” made Lou Reed take notice at the time. Choosing them as an opening act, sometimes performing with them for encores. Time For A Witness (1991) found the band honing their sound and getting a bit heavier, anticipating the grunge-era that Nirvana

would herald in in six months after this album was released. A cover of the Stooges “Real Cool Time” and their own excellent alt-radio hit “Doin’ It Again” are stand outs.

Maynard Ferguson ‎– Body & Soul [Reissue/1986] CD (Omnivore)

Maynard Ferguson ‎– Big Bop Nouveau [Reissue/1989] CD (Omnivore)

A pair of reissues from trumpeter Ferguson’s mid-to-late- ’80s period. The old met the new on 1986’s Body & Soul as Ferguson reshaped the makeup of his band, removing some brass from the line-up and adding guitar and percussion to create a new sound. By the end of the ‘80s, Ferguson had taken a rest from his fusion band, High Voltage, and recruited some of his favorite horn players for his 60th Birthday Big Band Tour. He and his big band entered Santa Barbara’s Sound Design Studios in 1989 to record the album that became Big Bop Nouveau — modern bebop-drenched big band music.

Moody and introspective twelve-song opus 3001: A Laced Odyssey features Brooklyn emcees Elliott, Meechy Darko, and Zombie Juice in prime form with their trademark dark humor.

Gadget – The Great Destroyer CD/LP+MP3 (Relapse)

Swedish grindcore veterans Gadget return with The Great Destroyer, their first new full-length in over ten years. A blistering high-speed assault of relentless grind, the album is a cohesive exercise in extremity that blends hints of doom, sludge and death metal with unadulterated, old-school grindcore.

Micky Gilley – The Definitive Hits Collection 2xCD (Real Gone Music)

Long-time co-owner of the famous Gilley’s nightclub that was featured in Urban Cowboy, cousin to both Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart, and country music superstar with over 45 chart hits to his credit (and a licensed commercial airplane pilot to boot), Mickey Gilley is a larger than life figure if there ever was one. Yet, to date, there has never been a comprehensive collection that covered his entire career, which saw him adopt honky-tonk, countrypolitan, and crossover country-pop styles with equal success over three decades. Your prayers have finally been answered with this 39-track package.

Glint – Inverter CD (Votiv)

New album from the New York-based electronic musician. Vinyl version due March 25. “[Album track] ‘Get Out The Way’ touches on the age-old subject of love and relationships. Emotive, powerful, and entrancing, the combination of lyrics, booming percussion, and soft, fluttering synths leave listeners with feelings of introspection and inspiration.” – XS Noize

Keith Harkin – On Mercy Street CD (Blue Elan)

Keith Harkin is an Irish songwriter and guitar playing minstrel. His love for the classics (Don Henley, Glen Campbell, Tom Waits, Neil Young & Van Morrison — to name a few) are reflected in this collection of folk-infused, acoustic pop.

Originally formed in El Paso, Texas, Holy Wave carefully combines fluid forms of sacred surf sounds, droning riffs, and group vocals that haunt and harmonize in equal measure.

Randy Houser – Fired Up CD (Stoney Creek)

New album from the country singer/songwriter – his fourth overall and second for Stoney Creek.

Information Society – Orders Of Magnitude CD (Hakatak)

The veteran synthpop band present a collection of new and previously released songs that have influenced their sound and their style.

Into It. Over It. – Standards CD/LP+MP3 (Triple Crown)

“Into It. Over It., the brainchild of Chicago’s Evan Weiss, are known for being a vital part of the still-chugging emo revival. But on their new album Standards, they call back to a different era of indie rock: The wave of grand, unapologetic mid-’00s orchestral confessionals. The band wrote the album in an isolated Vermont cabin, and they recorded it with Mountain Goats/Death Cab For Cutie collaborator John Vanderslice producing.” — Stereogum

Inutili – Elves, Red Sprites, Blue Jets CD/LP (Aagoo)

Elves, Red Sprites, Blue Jets is the third full length album from Inutili. Emerging from the vibrant rock scene in Teramo, Italy they continue to change, without completely abandoning their peculiar character. In their new songs, the tracks are less dilated. Improvisation is channeled in a form closer to the classic song, but in practice every track is different. There are still passages of epic psychedelia that could and should go on forever but the real news is the addiction of the sinewy vocals, half-sung, half-grumbled.

Gavin James – Bitter Pill CD (Capitol)

Debut album from the Irish singer/songwriter. Vinyl version due April 1. “Up until the start of last year there was chatter from the dogs on the streets that Dublin singer/songwriter Gavin James had left it too late to capitalize on his grassroots following – where, oh where was his debut album? James is mates with Ed (Sheeran), has supported Sam (Smith) in the US, and followed up sold-out shows at Whelan’s with dates in January at the Olympia Theatre. And there is proof on Bitter Pill that James has enough emotionally depth-charged tunes in his back pocket to take him from here to the top of the charts and back again.” – The Irish Times

Shooter Jennings – Countach (For Giorgio) CD/LP (Black Country Rock)

Shooter Jennings returns with his seventh studio album. In 2014 Shooter released Don’t Wait Up (For George), an EP paying tribute to George Jones, and at the same time announced Countach, his album comprised of songs composed or inspired by production pioneer Giorgio Moroder. But this is no tribute album. Countach is a sound-collage-style journey through the ‘80s and ‘90s culture, innovative songwriting, genre bending, fiddle-meets-synthesizer soundscapes and a shrine to pioneers of books, bytes and beats. The album features guest appearances from modern folk songstress Brandi Carlile, Antichrist Superstar Marilyn Manson, country-rock pioneer Steve Young and even Lord British himself, computer game leviathan Richard Garriott. (Limited pink vinyl edition was released February 26.

Jona – Sidetracking CD (Aeon)

By incorporating a wide range of styles into his tracks, Jona strives to break down unnecessary boundaries and ignite that hallowed dancefloor flame. It is therefore no wonder that his solo and collaborative creations for Sidetracking have yielded such stimulating aural delights.

Killswitch Engage – Incarnate CD (Roadrunner)

Seventh album from the metalcore band. Incarnate follows 2013’s Disarm The Descent and is their second album since the return of original vocalist Jesse Leach and the fourth album overall with Leach in the front man role.

Knockout Kid – Manic CD (Bullet Tooth)

Aggressive pop-punk/hardcore from Chicago.

The KVB – Of Desire CD/LP (Invada/Metropolis)

Like a hazily remembered dream, UK darkwave duo The KVB blend reverb-soaked shoegaze with minimalist electronic production to create a delicate and ephemeral sound. Produced by Sonic Boom, Of Desire expands on the band’s formula, adding influence from Death In Vegas, Scott Walker and Roxy Music.

Julian Lage – Arclight CD (Mack Avenue)

Arclight, Julian Lage’s Mack Avenue debut, marks his first recorded outing on electric guitar and in a trio format, backed by double bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wollesen.

Kendrick Lamar’s surprise new release features studio versions of the untitled songs he performed on The Colbert Report, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the most recent performance at the 58th annual Grammy Awards show. (Vinyl edition TBA.) “Back when he was just dropping these untitled songs on TV performances, one narrative held that Kendrick Lamar reigned so supremely that he could just let these sublime tracks lift into the ether without putting them on an album. But while that perspective honored his genius, it ignored King Kendrick’s intentionality. Elsewhere, there have been some takes connecting the surprise release of untitled unmastered. to The Life Of Pablo, but again, there’s a significant difference between Kanye’s tinkering and K-Dot’s surprise bit of context. Even a patch of unfinished demos gives extra clarity to Lamar’s masterpiece To Pimp a Butterfly and his career as a whole. Only King Kendrick’s demos could sound this intentional and powerful.” – Consequence Of Sound

Little Green Cars – Ephemera CD (Glassnote)

When Ephemera was completed in 2015, its theme became clear. A dozen exquisitely-crafted, exceptionally-sung, sumptuously-produced songs shimmered with the myriad of emotions the band had been through – restlessness, regret, love, heartbreak, hope and acceptance among them. Vivid lines of lyrics began to stand out. You won’t have your heart tugged harder this year than when Stevie depicts the disintegration of his relationship on “You Vs Me.” The death of Adam’s dad inspired the almost unbearably beautiful “Brother” – written by Adam, sung sensationally by Faye. The death of Stevie’s grandmother gave birth to “The Garden Of Death,” a number with breathtaking harmonies in which the singer seeks beauty in the afterlife. Vinyl version due April 15.

Lucius – Good-Grief CD/LP (Mom + Pop)

“Indie folk pop outfit Lucius have parlayed the success of their 2013 album Wildewoman into some wildly impressive opportunities. From collaborating with the likes of Tweedy and David Byrne, to becoming such a part of the Newport Folk Festival family that they were asked to back up Roger Waters during this year’s incredible headlining performance, the last two years have been the best in the group’s career. [New album] Good Grief sees the singer-songwriter duo of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig exploring the emotions of ‘loneliness, sadness and exhaustion alongside excitement, fulfillment and some of the most joyful moments in our lives’ that they experienced while touring behind their last record.” – Consequence Of Sound

Lumen Lab – They Are Killing Us CD/10” (Aagoo)

Lumen lab is a project created by Diego Martínez in 2000. When he was fifteen, he surprised the electronic scene in Mexico (reserved then only to genres associated with dance music or late rave culture) with drum machines, secondhand synths and any device with which he could use to generate rhythmic noise and distortion. After two years of live performances linked to a post-industrial sound, Diego began to merge other influences such as glitch, the late nineties IDM and sounds associated to hip-hop and punk music.

While jazz flautist Herbie Mann is often remembered as a pop-jazz player, he was actually a pioneer in popularizing world music and even prog-rock with recordings released on his own Embryo imprint (as part of Atlantic Records). And in the late- ‘60s, he was fronting one of the most progressive and electrifying bands in the world: guitarist Sonny Sharrock, Miroslav Vitous on electric & upright bass, saxophonist Steve Marcus, drummer Bruno Carr, and vibraphonist Roy Ayers. Together, the sextet cut the dynamic Live At The Whisky A Go Go album in 1969, drawn from a four night run at the legendary nightclub on Los Angeles Sunset Strip.

After British singer/songwriter-guitarist Dave Mason left Traffic, the band he co-founded, he embarked on a successful session and solo career that saw him notch seven straight Top 100 charting albums for the Columbia label between 1973 and 1980. This double-disc set collects 30 tracks from that era.

Jason Miles – To Grover With Love (Live In Japan) CD (Whaling City)

In the loving hands of Jason Miles, the magical vibe of Grover Washington Jr. comes vibrantly back to life on To Grover With Love. Featuring special guest Ralph MacDonald on percussion and Ryan Shaws vocal cameo on the hit “Just the Two of Us,” this is a compelling live tribute to the masterful sax player.

Mirror – Mirror [Reissue/2008] CD/2xLP (Artoffact)

“Mirror’s Thomas Anselmi has a long history in the Canadian music scene — he founded controversial Vancouver punk-rock act Slow in the ‘80s and was also at the center of the criminally underrated Circle C (aka Copyright), who more or less invented Radiohead’s sound before they did in the ‘90s. Mirror is a tour de force in songwriting, with the help of an impressive cast: Dave Gahan (Depeche Mode) takes on vocal duties for the fantastic album opener ‘Nostalgia;’ Warhol superstar and actor Joe Dallesandro makes an appearance on ‘City Lights;’ Mike Garson (the pianist from David Bowie’s Alladin Sane) contributes; as do guitarist Knox Chandler, former Grapes Of Wrath keyboardist Vincent Jones (who produced the record), and Download collaborator Phil Western.” – Spill Magazine

Mirror Travel – Cruise Deal CD/LP+MP3 (Modern Outsider)

The true beginnings of garage-dwelling daydreamers Mirror Travel originate in 2003 in a small Texas town you’ve never heard of. Through many cities, years, and members, Lauren Green (guitar, vocals) and Tiffanie Lanmon (drums) remained the spring of the band’s musical essence, continually writing, recording, and performing their own brand of narcotic, swirling, post-punk for over a decade. (Limited copies pressed on translucent blue vinyl.)

This masterpiece of raw and rabid, deadly thrashing madness is back in print on CD and vinyl. CD version is expanded with a bonus disc of rare demos, rough mixes, and other previously unreleased tracks.

Something Real documents the trail blazed by this hard-driving ensemble in its recent past. Most of all, it captures them in all their current glory as songwriters, performers and progenitors of the style they characterize as “cowboy hippie surf rock.” Features a cover of Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)” with guest vocals by Neil Young.

Obsidian Kingdom – A Year With No Summer CD/2xLP (Season Of Mist)

Obsidian Kingdom have been cunningly avoiding easy categorization since their inception in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, Spain, where the band was formed in 2005. Contrasts, shifts, and raw emotions created and guided by intricate rhythm patterns, electronic tapestries as well as highlights are combined into a carefully composed musical painting of monumental dimensions. There are hints of the epic approach offered by such influences as Pink Floyd and Marillion, yet Obsidian Kingdom use a far darker range of colors on their pallet. There is a constant sense of drowning, darkness and depression threading through A Year With No Summer, which binds the wide stylistic range offered by its diverse song material together.

Parachute – Wide Awake CD (Vanguard)

Parachute returns with this decidedly infectious collection of pop-rock anthems chocked full of the sticky sweet melodies and indelible hooks that have become their stock-and-trade. Vinyl version due April 15.

Penny & Sparrow – Let A Lover Drown You CD/LP (Single Lock)

Austin-made singer songwriter duo Penny & Sparrow (Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke) dwells in the spaces left between contradictions and opposing forces. In fact, it’s where they’re most at home. As the title of their latest album, Let A Lover Drown You, suggests, they know intimately the ideas of using pain as a barometer of passion and giving as a means of gaining. Their gorgeous, almost luminescent harmonies paired with cutting, contemplative songs that are inspired by Simon and Garfunkel, Slim Whitman, The Swell Season, Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, and Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim.

Robert Pollard – Of Course You Are CD (Fire America)

Solo album number 24 by the tireless Guided By Voices auteur. Meticulously constructed, Of Course You Are is overstuffed with hooky tunes, riffs aplenty and skewed/skewering lyrics. All of the instruments on the album were played by Ricked Wicky’s Nick Mitchell, who also recorded/produced the record, and Mitchell’s evident musicianship lifts the material to another sonic level without over-polishing. The instrumental palette has been broadened – discreet flourishes of strings, horns, piano (etc.) occasionally bring to mind baroque rock classics by the likes of Love and Cardinal. Which is not to say this is chamber pop. Vinyl edition due May 6.

Polyphia – Renaissance CD (Equal Vision)

Polyphia is an instrumental progressive rock band from Plano, TX.

Pony Time – Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True CD/LP (S-S)

Pony Time takes the best parts of garage rock and leaves behind the bonehead bro attitude, for a sound that transcends the genre with pure, heart-swelling energy and the kind of magical chemistry that only exists between bandmates who are friends in real life. In other words, they zero in on Troggs-like hooks, Wounded Lion pop-sense, and Beat Happenings sense of whimsy. Rumours 2 was written in the same style of Fleetwood Mac’s classic, replacing the copious amounts of cocaine with Gatorade and the tumultuous love affairs with trips to Arbys.

The Residents – Demons Dance Alone [Reissue/2002] CD (Cryptic Corp.)

The Residents were in Europe touring their Icky Flix show when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Stunned, they had no choice but to continue the tour, despite many cancelled flights. They wrote an album during many long hours travelling by bus and their stays in hotel rooms. The result, Demons Dance Alone, is an album of loss and of helplessness. Sad weariness with the follies of human nature. This melancholy has always been present in The Residents work but never before this tangible. Instead of being lost to anger, they had created some of the most bittersweet and melodic music of their career.

Silva – Júpiter CD (Six Degrees)

Júpiter’ is Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and composer Silva’s second release from Six Degrees.

Slingshot Dakota – Break CD/LP (Top Shelf)

Slingshot Dakota is comprised of two people, but has no shortage of volume, energy and catchy tunes. Carly Comando shreds an 88-key digital piano through multiple effects pedals and provides vocals for the band. Drummer Tom Patterson keeps the beat while energetically crushing his drums, a sight that is both entertaining and inspiring. While Comando and Patterson are influenced by their respective punk and hardcore basement scenes, their music can be described as poppy indie rock.

Spazz – Sweatin’ To The Oldies (All Of The Out Of Print Stuff ’93-’96) [Reissue/1997] CD (Tank Crimes)

A pair of reissues from the now-defunct hardcore punk/power violence trio. Originally released on Slap A Ham Records in 1997, Sweatin’ To The Oldies is a must-have ear-bleeder boasting 64 tracks compiled from splits released with Charles Bronson, Brutal Truth, Rupture, Floor and more, as well as the band’s debut EP, tracks from various comps including Better Read Than Dead (1996, Epitaph/AK Press), cover tunes and live cuts from KFJC and 924 Gilman St. Initially issued on Slap A Ham Records in 2001 Sweatin’ 3: Skatin’, Satan & Katon serves 67 more tracks compiled from splits with 25 Ta Life, Lack Of Interest, Hirax, Black Army Jacket, Gob and more, plus the Tastin’ Spoon EP and tracks from a host of compilation appearances including Short Music For Short People (1999, Fat Wreck Chords) and the original motion picture soundtrack for Gummo.

The full-length debut from this New York ensemble is reminiscent of Ethiopiques, John Handy Band, Terry Riley, and Art Ensemble meets Laddio Bolocko.

Jennifer Warnes – Well [Reissue/2001] CD (Sanctuary)

Reissue of the acclaimed vocalist’s 2001 album. Well includes solo compositions as well as covers from Arlo Guthrie, Billy Joel, Allen Toussaint and Tom Waits, and features guest appearances from Arlo Guthrie, Doyle Bramhall II, Vinnie Colaiuta and others.

The Wild Feathers – Lonely Is A Lifetime CD/LP (WB)

“Nashville-based band The Wild Feathers is rolling out all the punches with their sophomore album, Lonely Is A Lifetime. Half-written in the legendary Muscle Shoals style and half in a vibrant Barcelona style, this multi-faceted record ranges from the spacey to the fun, the slow, and the race-y. Starting off with an extra-terrestrial sounding screech, the opening track ‘Overnight’ booms into a catchy and vibrant riff with a relatable chorus that anyone would love. Similar tracks like ‘Happy Again,’ and ‘On My Way,’ echo that uplifting and vivacious attitude.” – The Mass Media [UMass]

Rita Wilson – Sing It Loud CD (Rita Wilson, LLC)

Rita Wilson’s self-titled new album, her second, not only marks the singer and actress’ debut as a songwriter, it also showcases her knack for creating insightful, eloquent, and honest singer/songwriter pop.

Pete Yorn – ArrangingTime CD/LP+MP3 (Capitol)

Six years after his last full length, New Jersey singer/songwriter Pete Yorn returns with his sixth album, ArrangingTime. In a lengthy Facebook post about the record, Yorn, who’s collaborated with the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Frank Black in recent years, explained how he wanted to get back to his “original style of creating and recording”. “…. After branching out creatively for a few projects, I felt I had come full circle and once again found myself really excited to work in my original style of creating and recording. This led me back to my old friend R. Walt Vincent who I had made my first two records with. It was powerful to reconnect with Walt and record on the fly, just coming up with parts and ideas as inspiration hit, and I found that we were creating fresh new material that felt like a furthering of the conversation we had started back in 2001.”

Larry Young – In Paris: The ORTF Recordings 2xCD/2xLP (Resonance)

First release of all previously unreleased Larry Young recordings in nearly 40 years. This set is endorsed by the estate of Larry Young. Extensive liner notes with essays and interviews by John McLaughlin, Dr. Lonnie Smith, John Medeski, Bill Laswell, Nathan Davis, Andre Francis, producer Zev Feldman, Larry Young III and Woody Shaw III. Includes rare and previously unreleased photos from Francis Wolff, Jean-Pierre Leloir.

This Week’s Vinyl Exclusives:

Auroch – From Forgotten Worlds [2012] LP (20 Buck Spin)

2012 debut album – first time on vinyl. Looming over Vancouver, BC, is an invisible dark energy, trapped in shadow, that imbues the region’s death metal with a most turbulent methodology. Blasting outside time and out of mind, reaching deep into the lowest places of the Earth, the inhuman entity called Auroch encapsulates the distant, thousand-eyed doom of the cosmos, long hidden, frozen to the core and ripe to be awakened once more.

Born Of Osiris – Soul Sphere 2xLP+MP3 (Sumerian)

Released last October on CD – now available on vinyl. Fourth studio album by the deathcore outfit. Limited edition double marble white/lunar moon color pressing.

Boss Eye – Plays The Cottage Vortex LP (Trustworthy)

Boss Eye deliver the rock noisy and angular, like a cacophony of The Urinals, The Intelligence and The A-Frames.

Clever – Kewdi Udi LP (Homeless)

A degenerate amalgam of mutated underground punk and venomous noise rock, Clever is one the most furious forces to hit the Brisbane underground music scene in 2016.

Pittsburgh tech-metal hactivists Creation Is Crucifixion emulate Lazarus with a double-LP collecting their last recordings along with an impressive live set.

Cretins – Meat 7” (Deranged)

Cretins rear their ugly heads yet again with six new cuts of destructive hardcore punk.

Death Index – Death Index LP (Deathwish)

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Death Index is a new project of Carson Cox (Merchandise, Neon Blud, Church Whip) and Marco Rapisarda (La Piovra, Sgurd, Archaic). Their debut album has “more in common with the primordial days of art punk than anything out there today.” Roaring out of the gate with a feedback driven gallop, the album brings to mind the swagger of The Birthday Party and others. Simple synth lines and manic guitars swirl heavily throughout. Conjuring the experimental spirit of legends Suicide, while Carson’s infectious vocal croon serves as a melodious anchor through a multitude of unpredictable twists and turns.

Dreamtime – Dreamtime [Reissue/2011] LP (Captcha)

Dreamtime – Sun [Reissue/2013] LP (Captcha)

Premier psychedelic outfit Dreamtime hails from Brisbane Australia’s underground DIY scene. They have toured with Bardo Pond, Moon Duo, Kikagaku Moyo, Boris, Earth, Earthless, and King Gizzard. The band’s first two albums are back in print on vinyl.

The Estrogen Highs side is full up with all the noisy, psychedelic, garage punk that they do so well, and Detroit’s own Frustrations delivered some heavy shred-filled jams that are cracklingly hypnotic.

Foul Tip – Forever Driftin’ LP (Captcha)

“The Chicago twosome, on the evidence of this album at any rate, produce a heady mix of garage, Ramones-style punk (with a bit of Fugazi thrown in), post punk (Wire and The Gang Of Four immediately come to mind) and even sixties influenced bands such as The Jam; with tinges of more avant garde sounds reminiscent of such as Talking Heads.” – Backseat Mafia

Released last December on CD – now available on vinyl. When It’s Dark Out comes fresh off the heels of G-Eazy’s Billboard chart-topping debut album, These Things Happen, which was released last year to critical acclaim. With cinematic, personal storytelling and immersive, hard-hitting and sweeping productions, When It’s Dark Out is augmented by contributions by Big Sean, Chris Brown & Tory Lanez, Too $hort, Keyshia Cole & E-40, and more. “The sophomore album is one of the most treacherous obstacles for any rapper,” said G-Eazy in a recent interview with Hot New Hip-Hop. “I dug as deep as I could until I was literally drained of inspiration.”

Sublime recordings from rural Niger. Two very different sides of Tuareg music — dreamy ishumar acoustic guitar sessions, and the hypnotic polyphonic tende that inspires it. Guitarist Fatou Seidi Ghali and vocalist Alamnou Akrouni lead their collective, named after the village. Recorded in the open air studio of the desert.

Great American Canyon Band – Only You Remain LP (Six Degrees)

Great American Canyon Band is a Baltimore based group formed by husband & wife, Paul & Krystal Jean Masson. Their sound is a beautiful mix of harmony rich rock, mixed with elements of dreamy, psychedelic shoegaze guitars and a big, wall of sound production approach which harkens back to the days of Phil Spector. CD version due April 8.

12 of the most memorable recordings from the beloved animated Peanuts television specials, all with the sophisticated, yet accessible jazz stylings of the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Includes such favorites as the instantly recognizable “Linus And Lucy,” the “Charlie Brown Theme” from A Boy Named Charlie Brown, the festive “Christmas Is Coming” from A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as the humorous “Little Birdie,” which features vocals by Vince Guaraldi himself.

GZA – Beneath The Surface [Reissue/1999] 2xLP (Geffen/UMe)

Respect The Classics vinyl reissue of the third solo studio album from the Wu-Tang Clan member.

Haiko No Ku – Temporary Infinity LP (Box Records)

Third full-length album from Newcastle, England-based noise-psych power trio. For fans of Bong, Les Rallizes Dénudés, Mainliner, etc.

Amanar de Kidal – Tumastin LP (Sahelsounds)

Lush studio compositions with rolling rhythms and wistful melodies from Northern Mali’s standout Tuareg guitar band. Disrupted by political conflict in the Sahara, Amanar’s follow up is years in the making. Soulful call and response in a charged reclamation to the origins of Tuareg guitar: messages to a people divided. Songs about change, nostalgia, and hope from Mali’s band-in-exile.

Matt Kivel – Janus LP (Driftless)

“Matt Kivel’s music is soft. It’s soft and delicate and pure and real, the silky instrumentation starting out quietly before blossoming wonderfully. On his new track ‘Janus,’ Kivel’s fragile vocals echo beautifully alongside folk guitars and soft bass.” — Stereogum

Canadian musician Nash The Slash (born Jeff Plewman, March 29, 1948 – May 10, 2014) had been creating his unique concept of sound and vision for over twenty years, becoming a familiar name to through his association with the pop electronic group FM and tours with Gary Numan and Iggy Pop.

Recently released on CD – now available on vinyl. Bay Area metal monstrosity Ritual Chamber is commanded solely by multi-instrumentalist and underground death metal veteran Dario Derna (aka Numinas). Like an extension of his work in Infester combined with the doomy atmosphere of Evoken, Ritual Chamber is a culmination of Derna’s 25 years active in the underground and represents a return to his death metal roots.

Sade – The Best Of Sade [Reissue/1994] 2xLP (Epic)

Vinyl reissue of the first greatest hits album by vocalist Sade Adu and her band.

Secret Boyfriend – Memory Care Unit LP (Blackest Ever Black)

Memory Care Unit is a long-form offering of poignant, isolationist machine music from Secret Boyfriend. Eschewing the cryptic and compact song-sketches that characterized his 2013 LP This Is Always Where You’ve Lived, Ryan Martin instead guides listeners through vast interior topographies and nerve-damaged ambiences that comfort and deceive like memory itself. Beginning with “The Singing Bile”—minimal synth submerged and subjected to an almost oceanic pressure—the tracks are mostly crude, extended live improvisations, recorded straight to tape.

Color vinyl reissues now available. “Back in 2011, Saskatchewan longhairs Shooting Guns crawled out from underneath a particularly heavy rock. Perhaps more aptly, considering the unstoppable momentum of their fuzz riffing, they simply blew the cover clean off with one concentrated blast of guitar. Their instrumental call to arms, Born To Deal In Magic: 1952-1976, would later go on to be nominated for Canada’s coveted Polaris Music Prize, but due to its relative obscurity remained largely unknown further afield. Attempting to right that wrong, ever-dependable imprints Captcha and Cardinal Fuzz have now teamed up for its re-release.” – [sic] Magazine

Soundtrack – School Of Rock (Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture) [2003] 2xLP (Atlantic)

First time on vinyl. Red and yellow color pressing. Featuring old-school hits from icons like Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, AC/DC, The Doors, and Black Sabbath — and teaching listeners a thing or two with newcomers The Darkness (“The greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of the last twenty years” –Kerrang!) and two songs from Jack Black and his chorus of students.

Soundtrack – Waiting To Exhale [Reissue/1995] 2xLP (Real Gone Music)

Limited purple vinyl pressing. A blend of female R&B divas both new school (Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, etc.) and old school (Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan) in a masterful suite of songs composed and produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

Johnny Thunders – So Alone [Reissue/1978] 2xLP (Remarquable)

By 1978 Johnny had relocated to London, forging plans for a solo career which culminated in the release of his career-peak album So Alone. In 1984 Johnny himself acknowledged it was “the best record I ever made.” Under the guiding hand of producer Steve Lillywhite and amidst an unrepeatable roll call of friends only too willing and able to help out, Johnny forged an influential album. Includes a bonus LP with the unreleased title track, a cover of Marc Bolan’s “The Wizard,” two non-album singles tracks: “Dead Or Alive” and “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory,” plus the B-side “Hurtin’.”

Future beats from rapper/producer Luka, one of the freshest talent of Bamako’s hip-hop scene. Rapid fire raps over blinged out baliphone and shocking synths. Drawing on expansive Malian tradition, reimagined into décalé infused dance and Sahelian club bangers. Featuring a host of guest MCs, a sampling of Bamako’s finest.